Foreign and Colonial Intelligence

The Illustrated London News,
vol. 44,
no. 1255,
p. 406.

April 30, 1864

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

AMERICA.

General Grant has joined the army of the Potomac. He has issued
orders to revoke all furloughs, to send baggage to the rear, and to
direct sutlers to leave the army, in view of the resumption of active
operation. Continuous rains, however, prevented any immediate
movement. It was rumoured that a threefold advance on
Richmond--namely, by Grant across the Rapidan, Smith up the Peninsula,
and Burnside viâ Goldsborough, North Carolina--has been
determined upon. The army of the Potomac, it is said, has been largely
reinforced. General Meade has moved his head-quarters to Culpepper.

On the 12th inst. the Confederates, under General Forrest, attacked
Fort Pillow, a few miles higher up the Mississippi than Memphis; and,
after some fighting, they compelled the garrison of 600 men to
surrender. It was said that they had massacred the garrison. No
certain information had been received, however, relative to this
latter part of the affair. The Confederates had also taken Paducah,
but had been shelled out of it again. The Federal expedition up the
Red River had defeated a body of Confederates near Cane River, and had
taken about 500 prisoners. The Confederate General

Page 407

Marmaduke, with 3000 men, had made an unsuccessful attack on the
Federal General Steele's division near the little Missouri River. The
Federal Arkansas expedition is advancing towards Texas. It has had two
successful skirmishes.

On the morning of the 9th the Confederates made an attempt to blow
up the Federal flag-ship Minnesota, off Newport. The Minnesota was
seriously damaged, but not sunk.

The Federal Senate has passed a resolution in favour of such an
amendment of the Federal Constitution as shall for ever abolish
slavery throughout the United States.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, with the approval of the
President and the Cabinet, had decided not to support the recent
resolution of the House of Representatives relative to French
operations in Mexico.

A scene has occurred in the Federal House of
Representatives. Mr. Long, of Ohio, spoke in favour of peace,
advocating the immediate recognition of the Southern Confederacy. Next
day Speaker Colfax descended from the chair and moved Mr. Long's
expulsion for treason. Mr. Harris, of Maryland, defended Mr. Long, and
prayed that the South might never be conquered; whereupon
Mr. Washburne, of Illinois, moved the expulsion of
Mr. Harris. Eighty-one votes were in favour and fifty-eight against
the latter motion; but, there not being a majority of two thirds, the
motion was lost. A vote of censure on Mr. Harris was immediately
afterwards carried, on the motion of General Schenck, against a
minority of nineteen. The expulsion of Mr. Long was still under
discussion. Several Democratic members declared that they indorsed
Mr. Long's opinions.

There has been almost a panic in the money market. Gold rose to
189, but afterwards declined and closed at 176½.